This Pew Research Center analysis examines Americans’ views of voting and their expectations around the 2026 midterm elections.

Pew Research Center conducts research to help the public, media and decision-makers understand important topics. We have studied Americans’ views of politics and major policy issues for decades.

We surveyed 5,062 U.S. adults, including 3,917 registered voters, from Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel. The survey represents the views of the full U.S. adult population.

Here are the survey questions used for this analysis, the detailed responses and the survey methodology.

While most registered voters across the country expect to cast their ballots in person this year, a quarter expect to vote by mail or absentee ballot (or have already done so). As in past election years, most of those who cast their ballots by mail or vote absentee express confidence in how mail and absentee balloting works. These voters are substantially more confident about this than voters who cast their ballots in person – a pattern that holds among voters who support both Republican and Democratic congressional candidates for the House of Representatives.

This is part of a larger Pew Research Center report on Americans views of election processes heading into the 2026 midterms, based on a survey of 5,062 adults, including 3,917 registered voters, conducted Sept. 28–Oct. 4, 2026. The survey was conducted prior to the Justice Department suing California on Oct.

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